Hello everyone, this is my first post so please bare with me

I am a first time gun owner, and about a year or two ago I purchased an M&P 40C. So far I have been very happy with the gun, and have been very impressed with S&W's customer care and support. Recently I have been feeling the urge to do some upgrades to my gun, but being the "newbie" that I am, I don't know where to begin.

I have gone through quite a few forums across a variety of websites, and know that a lot of people think the gun is fine "as-is" and not to mess with it. However, I am going to accessorize it one way or another, and want to know if anyone who owns or has had the 40C can give me some advice. I've listed some of my ideas below, but have had trouble finding parts made to fit the 40 compact (most of the "nicer" accessories seem to only be available for the full size M&P). If you know the part #'s and or the best company to purchase the parts listed, please let me know. Thanks!!!

My wish list for the M&P40C:

• Trijicon Night Sights (I could only find these sights for the 9mm Compact, will these work on the 40 compact too, or does anyone know the Trijicon part # for the 40C night sights?)
• 40 BBL to 9 BBL Conversion (What is the best way for converting my 40C to a 9mm? What's required to do this? Is it just a matter of swapping out the barrel, recoil spring, and magazine? Does a 9MM mag fit more rounds than the 40c's 10 rnd mag? Who offers the best barrel kits? Where can I get this for the 40c?)
• Laser Mount Green or Red for the "tactical rail" (is anything available that is able to mount to the 40 compact? Or is the tactical rail just for looks, or otherwise useless? I prefer green over red if there are any laser mounts that fit my gun since they are much more visible in daylight)
• Belt holster custom fit for 40 compact (What's the best belt holster for this gun?)

If you have any advice please let me know. I really wanted to get the Veridian green laser mount, but unfortunately they only make it for the M&P full size. As far as the Crimson Laser Grips go, I don't like the look or feel, and think the red laser is too difficult to see when conducting outdoor shooting on a sunny day. If anyone knows of a green laser sight for this gun please let me know. And just in case someone asks, I understand that adding a green laser to my gun is a little overkill for a compact 40 cal, and that they are typically used for long range rifle shooting. But what can I say, i'm picky, and sometimes like to do things the "unconventional way" Also, I RARELY conceal carry this gun, and am NOT concerned about adding accessories that make the gun "too bulky."

Thanks again for any ideas or suggestions, and please accept my apologies if there have been similar posts to this.

One problem I can see with your idea of a 9mm barrel. The extractor may not work properly. You can convert to 357 sig. They say just drop the 357 barrel in and go. The 40 mags and extractor should work with the 357 sig round.
Glock makes a compact that is close to the S&W compact in size. I have a glock belt holster and it works just fine. It is for a glock 20. I got it from Cheaper than Dirt for $10. Any holster that the glock 20 fits should work with the M&P compact.
Phil

Welcome to the forum Steve.
Phil

Thanks Phil, i like the fact that your suggestion is more or less "plug and play.". Do you know where I can get the barrel? Can anyone else please help me out with the other mods or upgrades listed above? Thanks in advance.

Thank you again Phil for your advice, I will try that before attempting to convert my gun to a 9mm.

First: welcome to the family. Second: very nice gun, you will not be disappointed. I'm also fumbling around with the thought of the first 3 items for mine.

Down to business. It's my understanding that any M&P night sight will fit, though you may want someone else to confrm that.

Storm Lake makes a 9mm conversion barrel that only requires a 9mm mag, which holds an extra 2 rounds over the .40/.357Sig mag you now have. However, as pberry said, the extractor on your slide may not be 100% reliable since it's designed for the larger .40 shell.

Most lasers should work, the rail is a standard size but its a bit short.. Lasermax and Beamshot make them in green but they run $300-$400

There are a great many holsters that will work well. Which one depends on the type you're actually looking for and mean by "belt holster."

__________________
Fast is fine;accurate is final

Steve, it sounds like you are a tinkerer at heart. Here are some thoughts from an older tinkerer who has finally started to outgrow the habit.

Night sights - send the gun back to S&W and let them put on the standard issue sights. They may only need the slide ( ? ) - which would save some shipping money, since it wouldn't have to go overnight. Ask them.

The best way to convert your 40c to fire 9x19 is to trade it for a 9c. Or just buy a 9c to go with your present gun. If the gun has to go bang every time, don't dink around with makeshift fixes. Besides, having a 9c as well couldn't hurt - right?

I can't say anything about lasers - green or otherwise.

As to a belt holster, I use a Fobus paddle type with my 40c, which is reasonably secure, and allows easy on-off. It is not a concealment rig, per se. I put it on when I walk the dog in the wintertime (under a jacket/coat). I suppose you could find a lot fancier rigs, and spend a lot more money, but if you are not carrying the gun where good concealment is a factor, why bother?

You might resist the temptation to do anything to your 40c that permanently modifies the gun. These sorts of things can turn out to be a disappointment in the long run, and a tremendous waste of money. The 40c pretty much is what it is. Other than whatever work may be needed to obtain a good trigger action, and maybe the night sights, the gun stands on its own. You made a good choice when you bought it.

Steve, thanks for posting this and welcome from another newbie.

I am in the process of looking at the M&P .40c as a back up gun and was wondering the same thing about the night sights myself.

As for the conversion stuff, Stormlake was mentioned earlier by another poster. They have a great reputation and it might be something worth looking into. However, I have always been reticent about converting a .40 into anything other than a .357sig. YMMV

Either way, good luck with the mods and keep us posted. I am especially interested to hear of your findings regarding holsters and the night sights.

Take care

I also believe the front sight dovetail is the same for all the M&P's. Bowie Tactical carries them and mentions no difference on their website: Link

In doing some research for a barrel conversion for my full-size M&P40 it sounds like a Storm Lake with a standard 9mm mag is the way to go. A couple of people have commented that they have had no issues with it.

For lasers there are a couple options-
Crimson Trace makes a grip panel that contains a laser:Link
LaserMax makes a rail mounted laser in red and green:Link